TWO women embarked on the journey of a lifetime when they trekked across the Great Wall of China for charity.
Cindy Sparkes and Deesha Bhatt, both 27, made the trip from September 24 to October 3 to raise money for Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital in central London.
Ms Sparkes, who lives in Southall, works as a paediatric nurse at the hospital. She said: "It was amazing, probably the most incredible thing I've ever done in my life. All in all we walked about 55 miles and I will never forget it for as long as I live."
Both women, who did not know each other before the trip but became friends afterwards, were travelling in a group of about 20 people in a journey organised by the group Discover Adventure.
Ms Bhatt, who lives in Greenford, was a former patient at the hospital. She said: "This was the walk of all walks and it is a great way to raise money for the hospital. It was the most amazing experience of my life and I would like to say thank you to everyone who supported me to raise money."
The journey included stops at remote Chinese villages. Ms Sparkes said: "Being just miles away from anything was incredible. There were no phones and no internet so being able to sit around a campfire with people at night was such a wonderful experience.
"The trip was hard work at times. On one day we walked continually for about seven hours and it was very warm but it was all completely worth it. There aren't words to describe what it's like being on the Great Wall, plus I've made new friends."
The two women are hoping to raise thousands for the hospital, which urgently needs £50 million to help pay for life-saving equipment and rebuilding work.
You can sponsor both women online by visiting www.justgiving.com/cindy-sparkes or www.justgiving.com/deesha-bhatt .
If you would like to help raise money for the hospital, visit the website www.gosh.org/challenges or call 020 7239 3164.
